Yeah... We're Different

A while ago, a sports shoe brand had a slogan that stated, "Runners... yeah, we're different." (Shows how well advertising works on me. I don't even remember the brand.) Well, Christians should be this way too. All the Bible shows me that we are meant to live life differently, and I have to say that I'm disappointed with myself this week. I've allowed myself to get caught up in work and getting things done- I haven't been contacting people that I normally contact. Lord, please teach me through these verses, through Your guidance, and through Your Holy Spirit how to be wholly yours... even when things get busy.

A Different Way of Giving
Deuteronomy 15:1-17:7

"Give freely to the poor person, and do not wish that you didn't have to give. The Lord your God will bless your work and everything you touch. There will always be poor people in the land, so I command you to give freely to your neighbors and the the poor and the needy." (Deuteronomy 15:10-11)

This verse is challenging to me as just today some student approached me about giving to some foundation or another. It seems like in the Spring there are drives for everything by everyone. But, the part of this passage that stands out to me to day is "give freely to your neighbors." How often do I look to my neighbor? My friends in class? My students? My herman@s in church? We are also called to give to them: give our hearts, our time, our energy, our love. Only then can we create a different type of community... a loving bond that cares for the downcast, the worried, the tired, the hurting, the lonely, the lost.

A Different Way of Speaking
Psalm 37:30-36

"Good people speak with wisdom and they say what is fair. The teachings of their God are in their heart, so they do not fail to keep them." (Psalm 37:30-31)

Good people speak differently. We are challenged to speak words of peace, of love, of joy, of the Lord. Since the Lord is on our hearts, that is what should come from our lips, even when we are exhausted or frustrated. Lord, teach us to speak of You, because if we are constantly speaking of You, Your teachings and Your ways, it will be easier to follow in those paths... paths so different from the ones the world makes.

A Different Way of Living
Luke 3:1-38

"He went all over the area around the Jordan River preaching a baptism of changed hearts and lives for the forgiveness of sins." (Luke 3:3)

I've always liked John the Baptist... that hairy locust eating, camel-hair wearing guy. He wasn't afraid to stand out in a crowd, to be really different from the others. And he proved that living a very different lifestyle still allowed him to be very effective for the kingdom. As Max Lucado puts it, he "didn't have to be like the crowd to change the crowd." That sounds like being in the world and not of the world. While I don't think I'll chow down on a bag of locusts or try on a camel hide any time soon, I'm thankful for a God that can use me and my different lifestyle... changing hearts along the way.